7 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 27)
Consistency is king on Tuesday nights.
Numbers can be deceiving.
A 7:1 Ups-to-Downs ratio suggests excellence, but this was no all-time great show. Aside from a couple of segments, there was nothing on this week's SmackDown that anyone needs to go out of their way to see, but almost everything was functional. If a match or segment succeeds in accomplishing its goals, then it's an Up, regardless of its weight.
This was one of the better episodes of the year, with the oft-maligned Road Dogg and his merry band of writers successfully pushing every major WrestleMania story forward. There were big developments in the AJ Styles/Shinsuke Nakamura program, with the challenger firmly planting himself inside the WWE Champion's head, and the US Title picture received a much needed shake-up. Elsewhere, Charlotte Flair was absent, but Becky Lynch kept the women's division's flag flying, while The Bludgeon Brothers, Usos, and New Day brawled once more.
Oh yeah, that Daniel Bryan guy was on the show too.
There was so little to complain about this week that doing so seems petty, but we can't give a perfect score to an imperfect show. Still, there was plenty to enjoy throughout SmackDown's two hours, and we can only hope the go-home is as effective...